Key West 2013 - Melges 24 - Third time a charm

by Joy Dunigan on 26 Jan 2013 Key West Race Week 2013. Brian Porter and his team comprised of tactician Andy Burdick, Sam Rogers and Matthew Woodsworth steered Full Throttle to excellent racing all week to win the Melges 24 crown over runners-up Alec Cutler aboard Hedgehog and Bora Gulari aboard West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes. This is Porter's third victory ever in Key West.

'The fleet hasn't changed. The level of competition in this fleet is so intense and so much fun.' said Porter post racing. Porter and crew were also awarded the prestigious Boat of the Week!

Second runner-up Alec Cutler on hedgehog finished three points behind Porter, but it was apparent his team gave it everything they had all week long. 'That guy is good.' said Porter. 'He is really, really good and a great competitor, sailor. We look forward to seeing more from them as we all work our way towards racing in San Francisco at Worlds.'

Bora Gulari on West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes worked his way up to finish third overall, followed by Argyle Campbell on Rock n' Roll in fourth. Don Wilson's Convexity rounded out the top five.

The final day of competition left much to be decided with only two points separating the top two teams. Porter and Cutler went head-to-head throughout the five-day event. Porter struggled in the first race of the Key West Series with a seventh place finish, then battled his way back to end with a top-three collection of scores that included an impressive six bullets. Cutler remained consistent with the exception of an eighth place finish in Race Nine which was later discarded. In the end it is Porter on Full Throttle who pulled out a huge win for the 2013 Key West Race Week title.

'Key West always has a great race course and steady breezes', said the three-time Key West Champion. 'We fought hard everyday with tight racing. I can't praise my crew enough, they all do their jobs exceptionally well.'

The Premiere Racing's competition for the Corinthian Division of the Melges 24 fleet was a huge success for the eight teams in contention. Congratulations to Loren Colahan's Lounge Act and crew of Jeff Grange, Jeff Otis and Mike Coony as they are Melges 24 Key West Corinthian Champions!

Colahan and crew stunned the competition winning the Corinthian Division by a 30 point spread and landing an impressive eighth overall. Jens Wathne's Party Girl had a great run today finishing second in the division and twelfth overall. Bo Boje Pedersen on DEN-701 turned on the heat today to land a spot on the podium in third.

Top Ten Results (After 11 Races - Final)
1.) Brian Porter, Full Throttle;[7]-1-2-3-1-3-1-3-1-1-1-3=20
2.) Alec Cutler, hedgehog;2-2-[3]-1-2-2-2-4-8-2-2-1=23
3.) Bora Gulari, West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes; [6]-4-1-4-4-4-4-2-2-5-3-5=38
4.) Argyle Campbell, Rock N Roll; 5-[8]-4-6-3-1-[24/DNF]-1-5-6-4-4=47
5.) Don Wilson, Convexity; 9-12-8-12-5-5-10-6-6-3-5-2=71
6.) Bruce Ayres, Monsoon; 1-9-[10]-2-10-6-6-7-15-4-8-9=72
7.) Thomas Ritter, Tramp; 10-5-12-[13]-7-8-3-9-3-7-7-6=77
8.) Loren Colahan, Lounge Act; 3-7-15-7-13-9-11-8-7-10-10-12=97
9.) Rob Britts, Hot Mess; 17-[22]-16-15-6-14-5-5-4-11-6-7=106
10.) Mike Keefe, OXYJEN; 15-19-17-5-9-12-9-11-9-8-11-8=114


Top Three Corinthian Results (After 11 Races - Final)
1.) Loren Colahan, Lounge Act; 3-7-15-7-13-9-11-8-7-10-10-12=96
2.) Jens Wathne, Party Girl; 13-6-13-11-[14]-11-13-10-18-12-12=128
3.) Bo Boje Pedersen, DEN 701; 11-[21]-5-14-12-13-14-16-19-13-16-15=148